Why we need renovaton, Part 1

     The Peru Public Library is a community minded organization. We provide many services, and want to continue to do so, but better.
     In the past, we have had a variety of programs for a variety of age groups. Know you, know your horse, Master gardening - teaching us about the best usage of garden space, composting and more, Studio Indiana - showing pictures he's taken all across Indiana, of our forgotten histories.
    Children's programs: The Summer READing programs that help to encourage children to read, earn free books and more, The live programming on Wednesdays. Special events and programs for the children: Spy Academy, Fancy Nancy, Dr. Seuss' birthday party, Cat in the hat party, Christmas and Halloween parties and much more.
     We also have rooms that people use for a variety of business meetings, classes, SCA meetings, scouting and more.
    These events and programs could be so much better with renovation. Why?
    Let me start with the auditorium.
    1. The lighting in the auditorium is inadequate. There isn't enough lighting, what we have, have those thick globes on them, not allowing the light to shine through as they should.
    2. Access: A person needs to climb a minimum of three flights of stairs to get to the children's floor where the auditorium is located. That is, if they come through the front door. Yes, we have an elevator. If you haven't used it, let me describe it to you. It measure, approximately 34" x 49". It doesn't hold very many people at one time.
     If you're a parent with a few young children, and you need/want to take your stroller up with you. Well, depending on the size of the stroller, and the number / size of the people riding the elevator, You'll probably have to leave it in the computer lab.
     If you have a wheelchair, it better not be very wide. You then need to use something to reach up and push the button, we provide one, it's a dowel rod with a rubber tip on one end.
    To get inside, you must open a door, slide back a gate before entering. Once inside, the door shuts on it's own, you'll slide the gate closed. If you're going all the way up to the auditorium, you'll push button 3. Actually, you'll need to hold it during the whole ride, if you let it go, it will stop. Wait while it takes you all the way up, creaking and groaning the whole time. It will stop on it's own. Slide the gate open, push open the heavy door and you're there.
     Our elevator greatly resembles a freight elevator, but much smaller.
     If you happen to lean against either of the two gates, (if you're riding with a stroller, or antsy children, it's easy to do,) the elevator will stop. It's a safety feature, but really inconvenient. We've actually had people stuck on the elevator. We have to yell at them from two or three floors below them instructing them to open the gate and make sure it closes all the way. Hmmm. Okay, try the other gate. A few times they've even had to jump up and down a little to dislodge what the problem was. I am NOT making this up.
    The elevator is not dangerous, it gets inspected regularly, but it is small, slow and scary.
    Don't believe me? Please come and try it out for yourself.

    Now, I know you've read in the paper that we're suppose to be getting a large grant part of the money is to go toward getting a nice, large, normal elevator. That money is contingent on us getting the rest of the money. We need this grant in order to get that grant.
    Please come and support YOUR library.